“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
What does the mother want for her daughter? What does the daughter want for herself?
According to the story “Two kinds”, various aspects of gender, class, race and age are well discussed. The book is written from a Chinese community. These is proven through the names of the people, the language that has widely been used and even some of the television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show background prove that the story was narrated from a Chinese background. The story tries to bring out some detail information concerning the age. The story’s backbone is change in behavior in the children. The writer in the story narrates out experiences related to the children in the most part of the story.
For instance, the writer focuses more often on children than even the older people in the story. This is indicated at the beginning, the narrator of the story seems to be a child this is because she tries to tell us on her mother’s background and how her mother always wanted her to watch the television programs to nurture her talent and try to work hard and be serious in everything she does. Her mother also used to narrate children stories to her every evening in their kitchen to get encouraged and be motivated. Her mother also told her that she could be anything she wants as long as she works hard towards it. That is why she took her to the beauty school and paid her for piano lessons to encourage her that she was not a stupid child. Although her mother was poor, she still worked as a cleaner and tried as hard as she could to see, her child succeeds not to be found in similar situations. Her mother also bought her a piano to try to give her some sought of motivation.
Through these one finds out the writer is writing regarding children more often. We also find out that the children mostly did the most activities described. For instance, the children used to perform in talent shows. These is proven in that the narrator herself is seen playing the piano at the children’s talent show. This is among many other children who attended who were performing. Her own cousin who she termed as her sister was a queen at the chase games and she envied her a lot because she had so many trophies than she did. This proves that Amy Tan the writer really treats the issue of age in her story so well.
Do you think the conflict between the mother and daughter is unique to this family? To Asian American families? To any group of families? Why or why not?
Gender is not brought out well in that story. Gender is the sex of oneself for example; one might be male or female. The writer, Amy Tan seems to be gender imbalanced because she writes more on the women and specifically the girls leaving out the men. In the whole story, the only men mentioned are the pianist, the narrator’s dad, her uncle and the boy with an artificial moustache who that the narrator talked about lightly. They are the minor characters who only just built the women. The women especially the narrator and her mother are the major characters. Through these, one comes to learn that the writer is more often on the women side and she might be a woman. She does not want to help the boy child also to grow and understand his importance in the society. The writer has neglected the men it seems like the men and especially the boy child have no such problems of identifying oneself in a society and need advice.
Race is a group of people that come from one region and speak a similar native language. They are different races in the world and named according to the continents where they come from. For instance, the Africans were named Africans because they come from Africa and the Europeans because they come from Europe and the Asians who come from Asia. This story majorly lies among the Chinese people, which is among the Asian continent. The writer has majorly dwelled on china. This is seen from the language that has been quoted and even the characters names such as Jing Mei Woo who is the main character and the narrator, Suyuan Woo who is the mother of the narrator. This is a quotation that has shown that the race that the narrator is Chinese “Ni kan.You watch.” through these one the narrator is a Chinese.
These also shows the writer as a racists one should cut across all the races but she has only talked of the Chinese people or does it mean that Chinese is the only race? The writer should talk on all the races to educate children of all races. This is for the reason of creating unity between the different people and educates all the children to make every part of the world comfortable. Not only develop the Chinese and make their children more resourceful than the other children in the other parts of the world.
Class, according to the writer’s story it can be described from a rich or poor background. The narrator comes from a poor background as seen. For instance, the story tells us that the narrators mother work as a cleaner and more so she does not buy books but she picks the books from her employer’s house. The narrators mother was also shown to be poor because instead of buying her daughter a new piano she goes for a second hand one and even the old music guide books on it that were torn. This justifies that she could not afford a new piano.
What is the significance of the story last paragraph?
The narrator’s family was poor to its roots. We are being told that the girl was shaven using a scissors, an inferior method of shaving in the world today. The narrators television set is also far beyond even to be called a television. We are told that the mother was seen as if she was dancing in certain frenzy just because she could not settle down. The television was such a nuisance, the sound system was adjusting itself making it make unnecessary noise instead making her mother sit next to it. To watch the program she wanted, she had to do that or else she will move during the whole program.
Poverty is brought about with some reasons. This is done to teach others that despite all that poverty the narrator’s mother never gave up with her although she still pestered the narrator to work hard and be serious in everything. The mother worked hard, brought her a piano to improve her skills, paid for her lessons both at the beauty school and at the pianist house. The narrators mother did not stop at that even if her daughter was giving up so fast she kept telling her that she could be what she wanted to be no matter what comes before her. She also advised her often at the kitchen table. The writer drew a good picture out of the poverty. The writer brought it out in a way to show that no matter what life one may live still it depends on oneself to make his or her future bright.
Works cited
Tan, Amy. Two Kinds. 1998. Print
